To Everything a Season (Song of Blessing)

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling is the first book in the Song of Blessing series. I have been reading Lauraine Snelling’s book since An Untamed Land when we are introduced to Ingeborg and Kaaren. To Everything a Season continues the story and introduces as to new characters as well. It is 1905 and things are booming in Blessing, North Dakota. People are arriving in town faster than they can build housing. They are adding an addition onto the boarding house, creating an apartment building, and building houses. The hospital is doing well under the care of the Dr.’s Bjorklund (Astrid and Elizabeth). They are getting some student nurses from Chicago as well as ladies to train in nursing from the Indian reservation.Miriam Hastings is one of the student nurses being sent to Blessing. She wants to go, but she is reluctant to leave her family. Her mother is ill and she has four siblings under the age of 16. Any extra money Miriam earns goes straight to her family to help them pay rent and get food to eat. But Miriam has signed a contract and she needs to honor it.Miriam finds that life in Blessing is very different from Chicago (especially in the tenements). There is fresh air, good and plentiful food, airy housing, and lots of fresh vegetables. Miriam also enjoys the community and how everyone is treated like family.Trygve Knutson (Kaaren’s son) is immediately attracted to Miriam and set out to get to know her better. Miriam is afraid to get too close because she has a commitment to return to Chicago to finish her nursing education and to her family. We also get to see how Ingeborg and her family are doing, Kaaren, Grace, Sophie, Penny, and all the others.You will need your hankie while reading the last of the book. I do not wish to give away any spoilers, but it is sad and, if you are like me, you will be crying. I give To Everything a Season 5 out of 5 stars. I am a big fan of Lauraine Snelling’s books and To Everything a Season was a delightful addition. I enjoyed returning to Blessing and revisiting all the wonderful people that live in this town.

I read a lot of Tracie Peterson. I wanted to find another good author in case I exhaust all of her books. In reading reviews, Lauraine Snelling emerged. This book caught my attention from the very beginning. It had a great story line, and I was able to identify with the various characters. I had difficulty remembering the names of the characters since they had Norwegian names. The family tree at the beginning of the book was helpful. As I read and looked over summaries of other books by Lauraine Snelling, I realized there is a whole series of books that precede this series. I wish I would have known. I would have started there. I think it might help the readers if part of the summary of the story would include that information. The reason I did not rate it at five was because the ending did more to leave me totally hanging rather than actually ending with the idea that there would be more.

When I started reading the story, I felt a little disorientated and I wasn’t sure why so I went to read some reviews that I hoped would give me a better foothold on the novel. I found a well written review that shared that this new series helps includes some characters originally introduced to the audience in the Red River of the North series.Now, if you’re like me having never read the series, don’t despair. As long as you understand where some characters were originally introduced along with knowing that this is a story of immigrants settling in the town of Blessing, you’ll be fine. For me, I hope to read the Red River series someday as I thoroughly enjoy Lauraine’s writings. The novels come alive in readers’ minds with each page turned and are filled with a community of people who go beyond their own lives to help reach or care for people coming into the established community.It was interesting to see as the town of Blessing grew and other nationalities came to the area to live or just work seasonal jobs the effects it had on people who loved there a long time like when an Anglican priest came to Blessing due to his horse becoming lame and he needed to work to replenish his funds before traveling. For so long there was only the Lutheran pastor who was attempting to gain peoples’ support to build a second church even though the response was less than enthusiastic.Now a young man has become smitten with an Irish lass who is working at the hospital in Blessing for further training before exams. However, when her mother’s health begins to fail, she vows to never return to Blessing as she must stay in Chicago and care for her younger siblings. There are multitudes of happenings going on in the town as well as individual and family lives.The novel was so enjoyable to read and hard to put down as the characters seem so lifelike. It was easy to get attached to the small town’s inhabitants. I cannot wait to read the sequel just released titled, A Harvest of Hope. There are some interesting relationships that are blossoming and I am eager to see how the author brings the various characters and town happenings together.

I so love Lauraine’s beautiful words of faith and family, church and community that I battle my own frugal principles and continue to spend precious dollars on her books. But I am sad that most read like long chapters needing to be continued in the next book to finish one part of the story as new ones unfold and more characters are introduced. It is a delightful saga that I devour with each book, but find my pocketbook is hurting as I continue this wonderful series.

So glad to be able to visit Blessing and all its people again. I just love Blessing....I feel I live there when I escape from the business of life. Please keep writing Blessing books Lauraine.....I love the way everyone comes to life and the children and their antics are sometimes so funny that I laugh out loud. Excellent reading......

So pleased she has written another series. Her books are riveting unable to put it down.

Very enjoyable read. Followed on with the families from the other books so great to be able to catch up. Looking forward to book 2 as this one finished on a cliffhanger!

Excellent new book from Lauraine Snelling - couldn't put it down and can't wait for the sequel.

Good read